The apparatus of the present invention relates to wheelchairs. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus that may be adaptable to an existing wheelchair to assist in lifting a patient from the chair or returning the patient to a chair by a third party, such as a nurse or health care giver.
Because of ailments or old age, many people are unfortunately confined to wheelchairs for extended periods of time, or in the case of the elderly, for the remainder of their lives. A wheelchair is a vital vehicle in allowing people who are not ambulatory to be able to get from place to place. However, particularly in the group of the very aged, or the very weak, the task of moving from the seated position in a wheelchair to a standing position, can be a very difficult task for the person confined to the chair, or even when the person is being assisted by a third party. For example, for the people who are able to stand briefly, but are unable to walk because they are too weak, oftentimes they will have insufficient strength to lift themselves from the chair to the standing position, even to move into bed.
These types of individuals are in need of assistance in helping them to stand, or, when they return to the chair, in being seated slowly, since they are too weak to lower themselves slowly into the chair.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus to assist such wheelchair bound individuals in moving from and returning to the chair, without placing undue strain on the individual, or on a third party, such as a nurse or care giver, who assists the person in this task. The prior art statement accompanying this application cites prior art patents which may be pertinent in the art, but fall short of solving the problems presented.